Wormald’s proactive approach to fire risk reduction in manufacturing for 2024 and beyond
When it comes to business operations, few events pose as serious a threat as fire.
The consequences of fires can be devastating — causing severe injuries, loss of life, and extensive damage which can cripple a business.
Nowhere are these risks more palpable than in the manufacturing sector, where fires can destroy custom-built machinery, resulting in months of downtime and probability of significant financial losses.
Recognising these challenges, Wormald has been working in close collaboration with the manufacturing sector in Australia
Our goal: to design and drive the implementation of tailored strategies and recommendations to fortify fire safety protocols, mitigate fire risks and safeguard local plants and manufacturing businesses from fire events.
Centralised Management and Responsibility
According to Antonio Serianni, a fire protection specialist at Wormald, the ongoing shift towards centralisation and uptake of industry specific fire safety solutions has helped minimise fire risk for his clients in the Australian manufacturing industry.
“Fire protection remains a shared responsibility, and vital that everyone involved in fire safety at manufacturing plants understand and invest in adequate fire protection solutions. Working with manufacturers nationally, we’ve been able to support category managers, helping them to set up and oversee the selection and management of fire protection providers. Further, we’re seeing more plant managers taking control of the daily supervision of fire safety procedures onsite, and as such, we’re seeing a marked improvement in fire safety protocols, planning and execution across the manufacturing process,” said Antonio.
Key Recommendations
Wormald utilises seven key recommendations tailored specifically for manufacturing facilities, helping them enhance fire safety and minimise risks:
- Establish Responsibility for Fire Safety: Clear systems and responsibilities must be established to ensure compliance with Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) obligations. Managers must exercise due diligence in implementing policies, procedures, and safety practices.
- Understand Legislative Requirements: Compliance with national building codes, Australian Standards, and WHS regulations is crucial. These regulations mandate the minimisation of fire risks through proper maintenance of fire protection systems.
- Conduct Risk Assessments: Thorough risk assessments are essential to identify fire hazards and implement appropriate fire protection solutions tailored to the manufacturing environment.
- Install Adequate Fire Protection Solutions: From basic fire extinguishers to advanced systems like deluge and foam systems, choosing the right fire protection solution is critical based on site-specific requirements Such requirements need to ensure that the sites fire load, operating environment and overall risk are factored in. Where necessary international standards and design criteria may be requirements from your insurance provider.
- Regularly Audit and Maintain Equipment: Ensuring the reliability of fire protection systems through regular internal audits and routine maintenance in accordance with Australian Standards (AS1851) is essential.
- Revisit Training and Emergency Response Procedures: Continuous training of personnel on fire response and evacuation procedures is crucial to minimising the impact of fire incidents and ensuring that your employees understand what their requirement is in a fire event.
- Choose a Reliable Fire Protection Provider: Time is the biggest challenge facing manufacturers when it comes to fire safety. It can be difficult to find time to focus on fire protection and as a result, it can often be overlooked. Outsourcing fire protection to reputable providers will save time, while ensuring compliance with evolving regulations and standards, allowing manufacturers to focus on core operations.
Looking Ahead
As manufacturing continues to evolve in 2024 and beyond, it remains vital that as an industry, its approach to fire safety evolves at the same pace.
Wormald’s proactive stance and comprehensive recommendations highlight a strategic approach to fire safety that not only meets compliance standards but also fosters a culture of safety and preparedness within manufacturing facilities. In an industry where efficiency and safety go hand in hand, such measures are not just prudent—they are indispensable for sustainable business operations in the face of potential risks.
Diageo Australia, National Facilities and Operations Manager, Raman Chandra, says “We selected Wormald for their ability to see beyond the basics and offer a comprehensive maintenance solution that ensured optimal uptime while satisfying our insurers requirements. The technical support we received in the design and installation of a new foam pump and the after sales support has been second to none”.
To learn more about Wormald and our Fire Protections Services visit https://wormald.com.au/
